Review: IKEA Meatballs

“Kottbullar”? I’m pretty sure that’s Swedish for cow testes. Nevertheless, you can’t go to IKEA without encountering at least one giant poster for their meatballs, so I had to review the take-home-a-sack version. At under $7 for 2.5 pounds, it seemed like a good deal.

IKEA, I expected more from your balls. They’re chewy, and there’s not much seasoning to speak of. The taste reminds me of the sausage links you get at Denny’s. The back of the package says “beef and pork” but you couldn’t distinguish one from the other. Plus, they totally shrank once they were cooked, and nobody likes shrunken balls.

Perhaps they’re better when served with Swedish creme sauce and fresh lingonberries, as the package suggests. I’m sure they’d be fine in your Trader Joe’s pasta. But as an hors d’oeurve, these balls just don’t add much spice to your culinary soup.